Bitter Water-苦い水
by Mewrlise
Summary: How do you stop losing the ones you love when you are not omnipotent? "We all have to make choices sensei. And, if it ever came down between my loved ones and the village...I would let the village burn." When you can't save them on your own? "We are just humans, and that's fine. It just means that we have to work together that much harder in order to protect each other."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Don't own Naruto or any of it's characters except my OC**

—.—.—.—

Nobody told Shōrai how painful childbirth was going to be.

She had been going at it for a few hours now, while her mother, Ume, was reassuring —or attempting to— her.

However, that did not help Shōrai one bit, and, as a contraction rocked her body, it ripped a new scream from her throat.

"You're doing great darling…come on, just a couple more pushes…that's it," the old woman murmured, fussing over her daughter.

"Ka- _aaah_!" she screamed, vision blurring, before she just clenched them shut.

A few more minutes later, and the cries of the newborn could be heard resonating in the little room. The cries were soon followed by the mother's own sobs, as relief flooded her entire body.

Ume was fussing over the baby, cutting the umbilical cord and washing the child in a pre-prepared water basin, before finally wrapping her grandchild in a clean blanket.

The older woman made her way over to her daughter, a soft smile on her face, and felt pride course through her body when Shōrai's gaze landed on the child.

"A girl," the old woman muttered happily, placing the prized bundle near its mother.

"She's beautiful…" Shōrai whispered, awe thick in her voice.

"She is," Ume agreed.

The newly made mother let out another sob of relief at finally having her child by her side. Safe. Healthy.

'She's here, she's healthy…Kami-sama…thank you,' she though.

"Reiko," Shōrai croaked, voice cracking after all the abuse it endured the past hours. Causing Ume to chuckled at her own child.

"It's perfect…," she said, extending one finger to stroke the cheek of the now quiet child.

"May she have a bright future," Ume murmured, before planting a kiss on both Shōrai and Reiko's foreheads.

—.—.—.—

The resemblance was obvious, even at only a couple of months. Shōrai and Ume were neither blind nor stupid. Even if Shōrai was more reluctant to believe it.

When the tuff of grey hair began growing, Ume already felt like it was a sign. Of what exactly, she wasn't certain.

However Reiko did not inherit said colour from either Ume or Shōrai. And her father was a brunette. Which left only one person she could have received said colour from.

Once Shōrai reached the same conclusion, she despaired, dreading the possibility that Reiko might end up looking like him. (A constant reminder)

It was Ume, in the end, who had to calm down her daughter:

"Enough Shōrai, he was still your father and you know he was a great man-" Ume said, attempting to reason with her daughter.

"And look where that greatness got him! Killed! And what about us? He wouldn't even admit to having a lover or a child. Hell, did the two of you even get married?" the younger redhead boomed in retaliation.

She wasn't angry at her mother, not really. After all, the two of them only had each other, and Reiko now, of course. Nevertheless, Shōrai hated whenever her mother keep mentioning _that man_.

She personally resented him. And now Ume took to implying that her baby could be potentially following in his footsteps.

'Just because of that bloody hair colour,' she though angrily. Though, it wasn't just the hair that she inherited from that man.

Reiko's light coloured eyes soon gained more pigment after birth, and, while initially they all thought that she will inherit their black coloured irises, that soon proved to be a wrong assumption.

They were red.

There was no doubt about it. By the time the child turned nine months old, her eyes were an inquisitive ruby red.

—.—.—.—

"Well done Reiko-chan," Shōrai's soft voice praised. Her short, dark-red hair, was framing her face, a contrast to Reiko's own shaggy grey hair, which was held back by a black hairband.

Shōrai's face was serene… however, her dark eyes were focused and unblinking, supervising her daughter's training.

It was a bit unorthodox, starting the girl's training so early, as she was just over one year old.

Unfortunately, 'as it just had to turn out,' her chakra coils were already far more developed than those of any other child her age. They were filled with a steady flow of strong chakra, no where near the levels of someone older, —she did not even have the levels of young teen yet— but, nevertheless, Shōrai was certain that Reiko will grow up having a large reserve of chakra.

Far more than her any of her peers would, she was positive.

'She does take after father,' the woman sighed, having resigned herself to the truth, whilst watching her daughter with sad eyes as the child concentrated on making the leaf stick to her forehead.

—.—.—.—

Two years later saw Reiko sparing with her mother, while the woman pointed out her mistakes and helped the girl correct her stance.

"You left your left side unguarded Reiko-chan," Shōrai said gently, sending a light kick which she couldn't block in time.

"Sorry kāsan," the girl said, pushing aside a strand of silver-grey hair that escaped her ponytail.

"Enough of this, finish your kata and then take a break. We will work on concealing your chakra afterwards," Shōrai said, smiling down at her child.

Shōrai herself wasn't much of a ninja, she only knew the little her father taught her in her youth and her mother wasn't even capable of using her chakra for more than fūinjutsu. By all means the two would be classed as civilians, if it wasn't for the fact that they could control their chakra to an extent.

As such, it was, —to some— maybe a miracle that Reiko showed such promise when it came to the ninja arts.

But Shōrai and Ume knew better.

Reiko was her grandfather's little girl, down to the very shape of her slanted red eyes.

Reiko looked, for all accounts and purposes more like him than her parents or even her grandmother. (Her genetics decided to bypass even their Uzumaki red in favour for the light grey she had. The two women couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing, considering the times they lived in.)

Fair skin, that was paler than either Shōrai or Ume's cream complexions, and a straight nose, as opposed to their smaller, button ones. All encased within a face that was bound to look narrower once she lost her baby fat.

The only thing that showed her to be Shōrai's daughter were the lips, which were full, unlike her grandfathers thin ones.

That, and she was a far more happy-go-lucky child than he ever was.

But, that had all to do with circumstances, in Ume's opinion.

All in all, no matter how you look at it, the resemblance was _still_ uncanny. So much so that just looking at her caused their chest's to tighten.

—.—.—.—

Reiko turned four a month ago, in early December to be more exact, and, with the ending of a new year, a hole new load of problems appeared.

"Hush, hush, little angel, it's all right, it's all right," the old woman tried to console her crying granddaughter, rocking them backwards and forwards.

Ume was old.

Old enough to have lived through the founding of the five great villages. Old enough to have lived through the destruction of her own. Old enough to have no illusions about Reiko having a quiet life should anyone find out about her ability.

"Reiko-chan, listen to obāchan now," she said waiting for the girl to look up at her.

And when the child turned watery red eyes towards her, she said:

"Reiko, you must never, _never_ , show, or _tell_ anyone what you can do. Do you understand? _Never,"_ she emphasised, "If they find out…bad things will happen," she said in a grave voice.

The child nodded her head, frightened. Her red eyes bore into her grandmother's dark ones, trying to understand what was happening with little success.

Nevertheless, Reiko knew two things:

One, she knew what she did wasn't normal, she never heard of people whose hands could turn to wood. It's why she got so scared when hers did.

And two; she trusted her grandmother, and if the woman said she should never speak of this ability… _then she wouldn't_.

Even her precious mother will be kept in the dark.

—.—.—.—

The little village they lived in was spared, more or less, from the ugliest side of the war.

The signs of it happening were still visible of course: food was available in increasingly smaller quantities, and most of the strong and able that showed promised were shipped off to the hidden village for training. Only to then be deployed to the frontline.

Cannon fodder.

Shōrai wasn't about to let them get their claws into her daughter. It was for that reason alone that she pushed Reiko to the brick of exhaustion in their training.

If worse came to worse they would flee. No questions asked.

Shōrai forced the young child to learn how to control her chakra better than even some senior ninjas she knew could.

Thus by the time Reiko was four years old, she could completely suppress her chakra signature or alter it at her whim and keep it at a civilian level unconsciously.

Shōrai could still hear her mother: "A prodigy, so much like him," it made her chest ache.

'Much good did that talent do father, it just got him killed,' she thought, a bit bitterly, glancing at her daughter who reminded her and Ume so much of the deceased man.

Now, at five years old, the girl was displaying the signs of a sensor in the making. Which Shōrai though, was a small blessing, as that was something she was well versed in herself. —If there was one thing the young redhead was proud of, it was her chakra control and sensor abilities—

She started by teaching Reiko how to tell the difference between a human and an animal, moving on to teaching her how to tell the difference between a ninja and civilian.

Unfortunately they were still working on the later, as there was rarely ninja seen passing through their little village. Making it harder to teach Reiko how to discern the difference.

At the moment, the mother-daughter combo were in the woods. Shōrai standing at a distance, watching Reiko with critical eyes, as the girl struggled to manipulate the water from the lake.

Shōrai should have known that if there was any element the girl was going to take too it would be water. Reiko was very proficient at manipulating smaller quantities of it. However she was still struggling to mould large quantities of water.

'Nature manipulation at her age…Kami, she will become a force to be reckoned with if this keeps up,' she though, still surprised by her daughter's rapid growth.

'Soon… there won't be anything else I can teach her…then what?' Shōrai thought before quickly pushing those thoughts away.

Refusing to think such things when there was still time.

If it would have been after Shōrai, Reiko would not learn anything but the basics, —since when was nature manipulation considered basic?— in order to better protect herself.

"That won't be enough for her Shōrai. She's inquisitive by nature, she won't be satisfied learning so little," Ume told her, on more than one occasion.

'Like hell it won't be enough,' she though, clenching her teeth, 'I'll make sure Reiko doesn't need to know more,' she vowed, 'I'll protect her. _I'll_ protect her like _he_ was meant to do with mother and I.'

It was a vow that was destined to be broken from the very beginning. Yet, Shōrai was stubborn. She might not look like him, or be anywhere near as talented, but she at least inherited his stubbornness.

Last week she was able to came up with an exercise which was bound too keep her daughter for a while. Just, not as much as she would have liked.

Taking her down to the lake three times a week, making her gather the water and mould in into spheres.

The aim of this exercise was for Reiko to hold the water suspended in the air for as long as she could. This particular training got harder the further Reiko progressed, adding more water and making her create more spheres at once.

It was designed to help refine her chakra control, while simultaneously working her reserves.

A large splash brought Shōrai out of her musings.

Turning her attention once again to Reiko, she was able to notice that the girl has reached her limit. The child was breathing heavily, legs wobbly, and, after a quick scan of her chakra, rather low in that aspect as well.

'Two hours, and 40 gallons of water…Reiko, she is improving really fast,' Shōrai though, somewhat sadly, thinking of the destiny that awaited her child. She was scared to think so far ahead.

Shōrai didn't like the life of ninjas, one could even say she hated it.

Hence why she refused to pursue it, unlike her father.

Or, maybe especially because her father was who he was. It was hard to live up to that sort of legacy. Made redundant —of course— by the fact that nobody knew that she had such a legacy to begin with.

Her and Ume were, after all, the man's dirty little secret.

Otherwise he wouldn't have been ashamed to announce their relationship.

It was a bitter though, but Shōrai couldn't help it. She _hated_ her father who abandoned them, who chose a village over his own family, his own _blood_.

"He was never ashamed of us Shōrai, you know that. He loved you more than anything in the world…you remember right?" her mother would keep reminding her.

And she did remember.

She remembered the man who would come and play with her. Who would visit her mother, looking at the woman as if she wore his entire world. She remembered that once, during a particularly nasty storm, he came in her room, woken by he crying, and stayed with her till her fear was alleviated and she fell back asleep.

Shōrai remembered the man who would tell her tales of really silly person and who told her he loved her. _She remembered._

It was precisely _why_ she hated him and his choices.

"It was to protect us. I'm not like Mito-sama, if someone came I couldn't have protected you," 'Bullshit,' she though darkly, 'who the hell is protecting us now to begin with?'

So lost was she in her thoughts that she didn't even realise Reiko moved till the child was pulling on her kimono.

"Kāsan…" the bright eyed child said, looking up at her mother, innocent and pure, 'the world still hasn't touched her enough to wipe off that look,' Shōrai though fondly.

"Let's go home Reiko-chan," she murmured, smiling when her daughter rewarded her with a wide, gap toothed smile.

Chuckling she gathered the still growing child in her arms, and gave a small twirl, delighted to hear Reiko laugh.

'Please…Kami-sama, let me protect her childhood for as long as I can,' she prayed, making their way back home and using her sensing ability to avoid any noisy neighbour that might question what they have been doing in the forest.

—.—.—.—

At seven, Reiko was a proud 51inches tall. Her light grey hair reached her lower back and was constantly in a high ponytail. She looked…more or less as she did up till now, only bigger.

Though, Ume and Shōrai were not blind to the biggest change that their little girl displayed.

She lost that spark of naivety that children are meant to have.

More than a year and a half ago their village was attacked by two members from the Kaguya clan who were passing through as they returned from the frontline.

They demanded provisions and grew enraged when they were denied, as the village was already suffering from a shortage.

They were vicious. Sparing no one, be they old or young. If they saw you, you died.

Simple.

There was _so much blood_ , the streets were painted with it. People were screaming, running, looking for cover.

And Reiko saw.

She saw as the kind lady from the market, who would always give her a free apple, pleaded for her life. How the cranky old man, who took to hanging by the bakery, was spared no mercy. How their next door neighbour screamed, and screamed, till she had no voice left. How young Shinji, who was just one year older than her, had his back broken…

It was utter chaos.

And it was only due to Shōrai, who quickly grabbed Reiko and ran, that they survived.

They ran, and ran, till they couldn't sense their chakra anymore. Ran till they couldn't hear the screams of the villagers any longer. Ran till Reiko's sobs couldn't possibly be heard by those animals.

Ume, who they picked up from the house, was cradling Reiko to her chest, muttering soothing words and telling her that everything will be all right.

Things weren't all right. Nor will they ever be the same again.

The damage was done, and Reiko was no longer the same happy-go-lucky child.

She took to her training with a ferocity only matched by a wild animal. She honed her sensing ability till she could sense people miles away. Her chakra control was amazing, good enough that she could start learning iryoninjutsu if she wanted.

Good enough to learn ninjutsu.

It got to the point that Reiko and Shōrai would get into constant arguments over it.

"Why must you go on? There is no need for it!" Shōrai hated the ninja lifestyle, hated how dangerous it was…hated that her daughter was pursuing it. Frightened that she might go as far as enrol in the academy.

Shōrai heard the stories, knew that Kirigakure truly deserved their 'bloody' monicker.

She didn't want Reiko to die before her.

However, it wasn't meant to be as Shōrai wished. And when Reiko gave the one, and only argument which Shōrai couldn't fight…she finally relented:

"I don't want to lose you just because I couldn't protect you."

It was silent after Reiko's admission. What could they say to that? What argument could they make?

Ume, who never got involved in these arguments stood up and left the room, returning a moment later with several scrolls in her arms.

"Mother?" Shōrai inquired

"These…are mainly scrolls that your grandfather wrote. He gave them to me after he learned that I was pregnant with your mother. So that she, or any of her children, may learn if they wished too…and he wasn't there to teach them," she said, looking at the scrolls longingly, before sighing and placing them before Reiko.

"Obāsan…thank you," she said respectfully.

Later that same day her grandmother taught her how to seal and unseal the scrolls. For the old woman might have never been a ninja, but she was still an Uzumaki woman. Proud of her heritage and well versed in her clan's most known ability, fūinjutsu.

That night Ume placed a storage seal on her left tight, "It will be safer this way," she said, hand never wavering as she drew the intricate design. "Don't worry it won't harm you, but, I want you to store the scrolls here whenever you are not using them. Understand?" she asked gravely.

"Yes obāsan, I trust you," she agreed.

Shōrai was nowhere to be seen during this hole ordeal.

—.—.—.—

The first jutsu Reiko learned was the Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidding in Mist Technique). It was not an offensive technique by any means. Although, Reiko was aware that young and inexperienced as she was, she wouldn't be able to match an older, more experienced, opponent in battle. Thus being able to distract or confuse them in order to retreat would be a more valuable ability.

She wasn't great at taijutsu, Shōrai herself not proficient in the art, and knowing no more than a couple of basic katas —which she learnt as a child. And, unable to find someone willing, that she could trust, to teach her, Reiko had to relay on ninjutsu and her sensory abilities.

Genjutsu was out of the question, as neither the scrolls nor her family could teach her. Bukijutsu posed the same problem as taijutsu and while both her mother and grandmother were well versed in fūinjutsu, Reiko seemed to posses no talent for sealing beyond memorising the seals and what they did.

Moreover, no amount of practice could really make up for that when it came to fūinjutsu. Simply because in order for one to become proficient in the art, especially if they wanted to be able to use it in combat, they had to have a certain calling for it. Something which Reiko lacked. Nevertheless, the very basic of the basic, such as explosive tags and storage seals, she could create, by sheer virtue of being able to draw them accurately.

That was not fūinjutsu, that was just copying, and Reiko wished she was better at it. If only to carry on her grandmother's heritage.

The old woman deserved at least that.

'There is always _that_ ,' she though, recalling the ability which she awakened years ago, only to shoot it down almost as quickly as it passed through her mind.

It was too dangerous to practice out in the open, and her grandmother could only spare so much time before Shōrai got suspicious about what the two were doing together.

"Hhng," she sighed tiredly, stretching out before returning to her sit ups.

Just because she couldn't advance much in her taijutsu _now_ , didn't mean she couldn't ensure her stamina and strength were up to standard.

—.—.—.—

The first offensive jutsu Reiko learned was: Suiton Mizurappa. (Water Style Raging Waves)

It causes the user to expel large quantities of water from their mouth after kneading chakra in their stomach. The jutsu's power depended sorely on the amount of chakra the user feed the technique.

Making it a _very,_ appealing technique, in Reiko's opinion.

For the other water techniques on the other hand, Reiko had to practice by the lake and use the provided water to power up her jutsu. As condensing water from the atmosphere used significantly more chakra, which she didn't feel comfortable using at her current level.

Right now she was attempting to learn Suiton Suigadan, a jutsu, which was most useful for aquatic combat. (Water Style: Water Fang Bullet)

The scrolls her grandmother gave her were through. Explaining the ins and outs of each jutsu. Describing _exactly_ , what the user is meant to feel before the jutsu activates and so on.

Reiko, while grateful for this information, was still uncertain about how she was meant to feel, in regards to her grandfather.

There was her grandmother who clearly loved the man, and spoke fondly of him. Whilst her mother didn't seem to have anything positive to add about the man. She was bitter and blamed him for the situation they were in, which, in hindsight Reiko could understand why.

After all, surely he could have kept Ume in the village with him; even if he couldn't have been with her all the time.

On the other hand, Reiko had never meet the man, so she couldn't really form a personal opinion about him. All she knew about him came from the two women she lived with, and, as previously mentioned, their views were contradictory at best.

However, what the young girl _did resent_ , was the way they looked at her.

Both her mother and grandmother would, at times, get this faraway look in their eyes when she entered a room, looking at a spot just above her shoulder, as if seeing someone else standing behind her.

Like they saw _through_ her.

It at least made her resent her grandfather for passing on his genes.

—.—.—.—

Shimo no Kuni (Land of Frost) was cold. _Cold, cold, cold._

Spring came late in the year, with summer even later, lasting for barely five months before the snow returned.

It's been over a year since Reiko left Mizu no Kuni and the little village she grew up in. The events which happened not so long ago still haunting her.

The nine year old was currently making her way to the nearby village in order to buy some provisions. Nothing too odd for the average viewer, even her obviously young appearance wouldn't have caused more than a raised eyebrow.

No, it was only if one paid attention that they would realise one, important, thing.

Her steps made no noise even as her boots crunched the snow underneath them.

They would then pay even closer attention to the girl and notice the way she carried herself, deceptively relaxed looking. Muscles tense and ready to be used at a moment's notice.

Her back was strait and her shaggy grey hair was in a high ponytail, reaching her shoulder blades. Reiko's previously bright red eyes were now dulled and lacked the spark of life that used to characterise them in the past. She was wearing a dark navy, fur lined kimono, that ended just above her ankles. With long slits on both sides, giving her greater mobility, whilst still keeping her decently warm. Her legs were tightly wrapped in bandages to prevent the cold air from hitting them. Her look was completed with a pair of closed toed, black boots.

Despite being alone on the snowed pathway, her senses were on high alert. The third shinobi world war was still in full swing and while Shimogakure was not as heavily involved in the war compared to the other hidden villages; it _still_ bordered Kaminari no Kuni(Land of Lightning) and Yu no Kuni(Land of Hot-water) making Hi no Kuni(Land of Fire) —another big one— close.

Meaning that border skirmishes happened often, especially between the shinobi of Kumogakure and Konoha.

Therefore Reiko learnt to always be on alert and avoid altercation with other ninja.

Sighing, the girl unconsciously fiddled with her necklace, a simple turquoise crystal on a black chain. The last gift she received, for her ninth birthday, from her grandmother.

 **-Flashback-**

"Here, I want you to have this," Ume said, smiling at Reiko's wide-eyed expression. when she opened her palm to see her gift.

"Obāchan! This is your necklace!" she said, Shōrai herself was looking at Ume in surprise. After all she knew exactly what that necklace meant.

"Yes, and now it is yours," she said gently, "it was a gift from your grandfather. He gave it to me when he found out I was pregnant with your mother. 'To keep you safe,' he said, and it did. All these years it protected me and your mother. However now you are mine and Shōrai's most precious person, so I want you to have it," she said, looking expectantly at Reiko.

The girl in question was flabbergasted, for as long as she lived, Reiko had never seen Ume take off that necklace, so being suddenly presented with it left her feeling quite off balance. Nevertheless, she accepted the gift, thanking her grandmother profusely.

"Thank you obāchan, I'll make sure to protect it," she vowed.

"You make sure to do that, after all, there is only one other like it in the entire world so make sure to keep it safe," Ume said gently, with warm eyes as she embraced her growing granddaughter.

 **-End of Flashback-**

'Ah, I haven't forgotten my promise obāchan…even if neither you or okāchan are here to remind me anymore,' she thought, tightly gripping the pendant and taking solace in the little warmth it seemed to emit.

After that it was not long before she entered the busy village, making her way to the market place to see what they had to offer.

'Haven't had fish in a while.'

—.—.—.—

 **A/N: Right, so if there are spelling/ grammar errors please fell free to point them out, I have read over it a couple of times but I would have likely missed things, so don't be afraid to tell me I would actually appreciate it.**

 **Questions:**

 **1\. Two guesses on who her grandfather is XD (it's not actually a secret but I didn't see the need to name him right now)**

 **2\. What do you guys think so far about it?**


	2. Chapter 2

"Suiton Suiryūdan no Jutsu*," she gasped out, as a column of water materialised before her, taking the shape of a dragon,after which it launched itself at the nearby trees, obliterating them.

Reiko took a small break after the water dragon dissipated, analysing the damage done and the amount of chakra it took to perform. The twelve year old had been able to perform this techniques for a few weeks now, however, she was attempting to better familiarise herself with it, so as to memorise the way her chakra before the jutsu activated. In hopes of cutting down on the forty-four hand seals it needed.

'Forty-four bloody hand seals! Who the heck came up with this technique?'

Reiko managed to get it down to thirty-seven seals, though, it now used more chakra to activate and it wasn't as stable, making it lose some of its strength.

In other words, it was proving extremely frustrating for Reiko and she was _not_ a happy bunny.

(Well she generally wasn't one but _whatever_ )

Add to the fact that she had to constantly regenerate the destroyed forest, which on itself took a great deal of chakra, while keeping her sensing ability on high alert.

Why?

Simple. There had been an increased activity from ninjas, close enough to where she lived that it made her rather fidgety.

'Hm?' she frowned, honing on the chakra signal that entered her sensing range. Crouching she touched the ground with her index finger to focus better on the chakra.

'Ninja,' she though immediately, taking note of how developed the user's chakra was, 'male…injured?' she wondered, noticing the low chakra levels and fluctuating nature of it.

Frowning Reiko got up, ignored the damaged forest, —'I can always deal with that later'— and made her way towards her house.

Running, she reached the house in two short minutes, as she tended to train close to the hut. She jumped on the roof and laid belly down on the wooden shingles.

Concentrating, Reiko could definitely tell that all was not right with the ninja. However she chose to wait for him to approach. Once the figure entered her field of sight, Reiko made certain to note any, and all anomalies she saw.

'Definitely injured, he's leaking blood—tsk, that will make for an especially easy trail to follow in this snow,' she though slightly annoyed. He wasn't headed for her house at least. As far she could tell the ninja hadn't even noticed it, closed by thick, dense tress as it was.

'He seems…not all there,' she though, trying to come up with the right phrasing. The male was wobbling, leaning most of his weight on his left leg, and, on closer inspection, his gaze seemed unfocused.

'Was he ambushed?' she pondered, 'He better not have pursuers. I can't be bothered to deal with who knows how many ninja of unknown strength…should they notice me,' she though somewhat sarcastically, in an attempt to mask the dread she felt blossoming in her at that last thought.

Focusing on extending her sensing field towards the direction the ninja came from, Reiko came up empty handed. There were no other shinobi chakras that she could pick up for miles.

The girl was drawn out of her assessment when she heard the sound of something falling in the snow.

'…He collapsed,' she thought, slightly surprised. 'Then again taking in account his appearance…maybe his injuries were more severe than I though.'

And _now_ , Reiko found herself facing a conundrum.

Should she check on the ninja, or leave him there? He wasn't in front of her house per se, but neither was he far enough away for her to feel comfortable about leaving him there. The smell would at least attract animals if nothing else.

The problem lay in the fact that she had no idea how he would react to her once he woke up. Or whether or not he had people looking for him. Reiko wasn't a medic either, thus couldn't do more than bandage and disinfect a wound, and would have no idea how long it would take for him to heal.

However, she wasn't cold hearted or apathetic enough to just stand there letting someone dye when they haven't done anything to her.

'Gah! I've already decided, haven't I?' she thought testily.

Sighing in exasperation —What the hell am I getting into?— she jumped off her roof and made her way to the fallen ninja.

He was collapsed face-forward,the snow around him was colouring red. 'He's still breathing,' Reiko noted, watching the slight rise and fall of his back.

Moving around him so she was crouched down by he's shoulders, Reiko gingerly placed her hands under his armpits, trying to raise the man and drag him to the house.

She might have bothered with a shadow clone, if it wasn't for the fact that most of her chakra was gone from training and Reiko wanted to preserve the remainder of it, incase things went south.

'So dragging you it is,' she though with little pity fro the man. He should be grateful that she was even bothering. 'Bleeding heart that I am.'

—.—.—.—

Inside the hut, Reiko deposited the man on her futon,—'my _only_ futon'— and when to start a fire in the hearth, before adding some water to the kettle and hooking it up to the jizaikagi* to boil.

Once done Reiko went to her medic kit and took out some bandages and disinfectant. Supplies gathered, she made her way to the unknown man, taking a moment to look over him. More specifically to look for some form of identification,

He wasn't all that tall for a male, tanned, with short brown hair. His front bangs were plastered to his forehead, and as a result covering the very thing she was looking for.

A hitai-ate.

Letting out another annoyed sigh, Reiko went to work. She unzipped his flat jacket, cut off his shirt using a kunai, 'Bah, it was already ruined,' and gently pealed it off his skin, winching when she saw the extent of his injuries.

The man's flat jacket took far more damage than him, but even so, he was covered in cuts and bruises. Most of them superficial, —she hoped— but there were two deep lacerations. One on the right side of his waist, 'As if he dodged to the side as someone slashed at him,' and the other one, which started from below his left and went across his chest.

'I'll need more bandages,' she realised as she set out to clean and disinfecting his wounds. Bandaging the worst of them and leaving the other ones exposed to the elements. His right leg seemed to be in the worse shape, suffering from burns of unknown severity. And Reiko prayed to whichever kami watched over this guy that he did not have broken bones.

She didn't know what to do about broken bones.

—.—.—.—

Three days later her companion was still asleep and Reiko didn't know what to do about him. She even went to the village nearby to buy more bandages and disinfectant —and another futon. She refused to sleep on the wood. Because damn if it wasn't cold—

Reiko even went through the trouble of passing by the local clinic, pretending her brother was injured and asking for tips and signs of infection and how to combat them. And how to tell if a bone was broken when your patient was unconscious.

Because you know, that wasn't suspicious. _At all_. Kami she was a moron at times.

It took a good hour to convince the doctor that he did not need to come to her house, that she could deal with it herself and that no, she couldn't bring him to the clinic.

'Bloody good samaritans.'

But even after all of that, the man showed no signs of waking up. His chakra was replenished, he miraculously did not contact an infection, and he had no fever. Sure he might have lost a lot of blood but surely he should have woken up by now?

No, this sleeping beauty didn't seem in any rush.

And it was making Reiko angsty, wondering when he will wake up and how he will react. She never fought anyone before and was not about to place bets on herself against someone with more training and experience than her.

"Huh, you better not go crazy on me little leaf," she muttered, playing with the man's forehead protector.

A stylised leaf engraved into it.

—.—.—.—

"Well, don't you make a high maintenance sleeping beauty?" Reiko mocked when she heard her new room mate finally stir.

The sound of her voice caused the man to snap into gear and his hand snapped to his high, were there used to reside a kunai holster.

"Hey you're going to undo all my hard work!" she snapped, 'So he might turn out to be the violent kind after all,' she though annoyed, a shiver of fear passing through her that she refused to show on her face or in her voice.

The brunette looked up at her…staring. And staring, no words were exchanged between them.

"Great a mute," Reiko muttered irritably, four days without proper sleep due to fear of being strangled at night, finally caught up to her.

"I'll go heat up some water," she told him, "tea?"

"Wh-who, are you?" he rasped out, voice hoarse from lack of use.

"A good samaritan, now get better and hurry out of my house," she said, only half meaning to sound so harsh.

He tried to say something else but stopped when Reiko brought the cup of tea to his lips.

"Oh stop staring at it like that. If I wanted you dead I would have left you out in the snow and I would't have gone through this much trouble," she told him when he made no move to pick up the cup.

The ninja gingerly picked it up, and sipped some of the tea, finishing it up almost immediately after. Reiko only raise an eyebrow but didn't comment, only picking up the kettle and refiling the man's cup.

"So, you have a name or should I keep calling you sleeping beauty?" she said.

He looked up at Reiko again, light green eyes clashing with dark red.

"Tokuma," he said, going back to drinking his tea, eyes never leaving her though.

"Reiko," she replayed simply, "now, I'm no medic, but I bandaged and done what I could. I even went to the clinic to ask for tips," Tokuma froze at that, "tsk, don't look so frightened, it's not like I went blabbering that I have an injured ninja in my house. That's just asking for problems."

"Where exactly am I?" he asked finally taking a full look at his surroundings.

"My house, Shimo no Kuni, late December," she listed without missing a beat. He might be nice now but Reiko didn't want to antagonise him too much. You never knew what will set him off.

"I see, and you…took care of my injuries?" he hesitated, seemingly to be debating something internally, but moved on.

"Do you see anyone else? Oy, don't get up yet your leg still hasn't recovered," she admonished him, wincing when he grimaced.

"So, want to share with me why I found you collapsed near my home?"

"I was attacked," Reiko gave him a blank look, and Tokuma actually blushed.

"Haha…I guess I do owe you an explanation for saving my life," he then launched into a short story about how he and his team were being followed so he offered to stay back and slow down their enemy so that the rest of his teammates could complete the mission.

"Heroic idiot," she replayed, finished cooking the fish and plating it.

"Here, eat this," she ordered, thrusting the food and a pair of chopsticks at the man.

—.—.—.—

As it turned out, while Tokuma wanted go and find out what happened to his team, his still healing injuries made it pointless for him to try now.

"Because if you got ambushed right now, you would be able to put up a hell of a fight right?" she said sarcastically, the first time he tried to leave.

Two days later, and they were sitting, legs folded, at her table, eating.

"Mou~ Reiko-chan, you will make a great wife one day!" Tokuma said cheerily, waving his chopsticks around. A glare was his only replay.

"Hey now, it's a compliment I swear! You're really good at cooking, and not that bad at patching up wound either… hey how old are you anyway?"

Any and all pity Reiko felt for him initially disappeared over the past two days. Tokuma was a chatter box. And constantly, _constantly_ , asked questions. Not a bad thing for a ninja, she knew, and she could tell when he worded his questions just so, in order to gather information. "No I didn't tell anyone about you," "No I haven't seen any other ninja nearby," "Yes, I took off your weapons— _don't look_ at me like that. Did you really think _anyone_ will allow an unknown, wounded ninja to have weapons nearby? I personally like my body as it is. With _no holes."_ Those were just some off the things she told him. But up till now he stayed clear of asking personal questions.

It was a mutual understanding between them, you don't ask me and I don't ask you. Or so Reiko thought.

"I turned twelve this month," she told him, watching the way he paused for a bit, seeming to process the information. Giving her an inscrutable look during this procedure, before he returned to his far too cheery self.

"Awww, if only you were a couple of years older… I would totally marry you!" he exclaimed. She threw her empty bowl at him. He dodged.

"Like I would marry you,…tsk troublesome man. Get better and leave."

"Nah, you don't mean that Reiko-chan. You would miss my irresistible charm," he joked.

"What I do _miss_ , is the quiet," she stressed out the word 'miss,' relishing the way he pouted.

Reiko wouldn't admit it out loud but she enjoyed the banter going on. If nobody could tell, she was quite lonely. Not that it would convince her to move to a village, that would just get in the way of her training and if someone noticed it then they would ask questions.

And questions were bad.

Especially during war time.

She was too immersed in her rumination to realise that Tokuma had been quiet for a while. Reiko didn't even noticed that he finished eating and was now watching her.

"Reiko-chan," he started off slowly, snapping her out off her thoughts.

"I didn't want to ask but—"

"Then don't ask," she interrupted, not liking his tone nor the sigh that followed.

"Where are your parents?"

She didn't answer, not for a while. Her body having gone completely rigid. The memory of that day making an appearance in her thoughts, and unconsciously it caused her fingers to tighten around her tea cup.

Reiko didn't notice all off this. But Tokuma did.

"Rei—" he tried again.

"They are dead," she snapped, gaze lowered, refusing to meet his.

'I should have kept my mouth closed,' he thought to himself angrily. They didn't speak for the rest of the day, and Reiko went to clean up the dishes in silence.

—.—.—.—

The next day, the bowl in which she put the rice in, cracked when she handed it to Tokuma.

"Huh? That's odd," he said looking at the bowl quizzically.

Reiko had a bad feeling about this.

—.—.—.—

'I knew that things were going too smoothly to be true,' she thought irritably. Dropping the wood she 'gathered,' Reiko made her way back home. Slamming the door open and scaring Tokuma enough for him to fling a kunai at her.

"Wha—" he tried to get out.

"What do you want to do?" she demanded, much to the ninja's confusion.

"What do you mean? Did something happened?" he fired quickly, eyes narrowed.

"Ninja, five of them heading towards this direction," she narrated almost mechanically.

Tokuma looked taken back for only a moment before his entire demeanour changed.

"How do you know?"

"Sensor," she replayed simply, watching as the man quickly collected his stuff and was ready to go.

"Distance and time left?"

"Less than nine kilometres, coming from the west…about, twenty minutes

"Are you certain that they are heading in this direction?"

"…No. However other than you I have never l encountered ninjas in this area."

Agreeing to hide his presence just incase, reiko went about her normal business, erasing any trances of a second person having living there. Just in case.

From what she could tell, the approaching chakras, they were in no hurry which did calm the girl somewhat. Till they entered her clearing.

Quickly doing a scan of her surroundings she could feel the muted chakra of Tokuma in the tress edging the clearing and she could only hope that he was not spotted.

When the knock sounded, she took a deep breath to calm herself before opening the door.

Five men were on the other side. They didn't look particularly threatening or menacing, but appearances could be deceiving.

Especially in the case on ninjas who lived off deception.

Reiko didn't have to fake her apprehension at seeing them. The man who was probably in charge asked if they could enter.

"We are part of the patrol force. I am really sorry to be bothering you miss but could we rest inside for a bit?" he asked pleasantly, though his eyes weren't as warm. Reiko narrowed her eyes at them and a quick glance revealed that they were all wearing forehead protectors with Shimogakure's symbol engraved into them.

'The local shinobi then,' she thought warily, but allowed them in nonetheless. She never before fought a ninja and she sure as hell didn't want to start an altercation with a group of them.

Once inside Reiko took more time to analyse them, 'break my ass,' she thought, seeing them look around. 'What kind of patrols would ask to take a break in a civilian's home when their duty is to _patrol_ their given perimeter,' she though sourly.

If she was right it means that they were here for a different reason. 'Tokuma?' she wondered, 'But how did they find out, I never told anyone about him. For that matter how did they know where my house is? What did they just run around aimlessly?' she kept thinking as she offered the shinobi tea.

"My apologies, I hope you have something in which I can pour you tea. Unfortunately I never had a need to posses enough cups to serve so many people," she said kindly, trying her best to not show fear.

Because she was afraid. Sure Reiko could do ninjutsu, but for all she knew the things that she could do were baby things for seasoned ninja. Not to mention that she had no illusions that she could take on even one of them in hand to hand combat when they had formal training and she only had the little her mother could teach her.

'If this is about Tokuma…how? How, how, how? Was he followed and I never noticed because whoever was tracking him returned to report?…No, it couldn't have taken them that long to act. The village? Did I give something away?' she desperately wondered.

The ninja took a seat around her table and funnily one of them did have cups sealed in a scroll.

"Where are your parents girl?" one of them asked, eyes fixated upon her.

"Dead," she briskly replied, trying to look at everyone from the corner of her eyes. Many were till looking around but non seem to be making any moves to do anything.

'Am I just being paranoid?' she hoped, but like before all good things must come to an end. And the illusion she managed to build in her mind that these were indeed just ninjas who wanted a break shattered upon the next question.

"Has anyone else been here recently?" the man, the leader, questioned as he drank from his cup.

"No…As you can see I live quite far out. I rarely see people around these part," Reiko said hesitantly.

'How?'

"Yes, I can see that. Aren't you lonely all the way out here on your own?"

"I visit the nearby village quite often," she fired back.

"Ah, we passed by there recently, to restock on supplies you see. Funny thing one of the villagers said. About a girl, comes to the village everyone and then with fresh game food to sell. How do you do it little girl?"

'The village? What did I let out?'

She tried to stop the trembling of her hands by clenching her own cup tighter and made eye contact with the man.

"Not that hard. My mother taught me and my brother how to make traps to catch wild animals," she tried to say as evenly as she could. Praying that they would not see through her lie. 'It was my brother that I claimed to be injured right?' she wondered, not seeing the ninjas were relaxing. All except the one who was interrogating her.

"Where is your brother now?"

"In the forest, he went out recently to gather firewood."

"I see…well we have wasted enough time and should be returning to our duty. Thank you very much for the tea miss and have a good day. I hope your brother's injuries recovered well," he said as they all got up to leave.

It wasn't till they left and Reiko closed the door that she realised what the ma said.

She never mentioned that her 'brother' was injured.

'The doctor,' she realised wide eyed, 'something in my story must have tipped him off.'

Reiko finally breathed a sigh of relief when she sensed them having entered the forest, 'their leaving' she thought happily till she sensed to see if Tokuma was still around.

He was.

In the frost ninjas' path.

The resounding explosion was enough to tell her that they encounter each other. For one moment Reiko stood stock still thinking of how utterly ridiculous this entire situation was.

She wanted to ignore them. To pretend that the battle outside wasn't happening. There was no need for her to get involved. She wasn't even a ninja per se.

However Reiko remembered that Tokuma was still injured and that despite being an utter stranger, he was nice and a pain when he opened his mouth to talk, but that this fight was five to one and the shimogakure ninjas will kill him.

'Fuck,' she thought desperately, hands clenched so tightly that she could feel her blunt nails digging into her skin.

'Even if I ignore them, who is too say that they wont just come back? It won't take long for them to realise that my brother story was utter garbage. Especially if a bloody civilian doctor could tell I was lying.'

With a resigned attitude, Reiko sprinted towards the fight, hands blurring through the hand seals required for a suiton jutsu. The moment she reached them she activated the jutsu and sent the large water dragon spiralling toward the surprised frost ninjas. Three of them didn't dodge in time and were sent flying through the nearby trees.

"Reiko-chan!" Tokuma's voice shouted in surprise.

"Shut it idiot, I told you not to die near my house."

Dodging a flying kunai, she was grateful for the explosive tag Tokuma sent in retaliation, buying her enough time to finish her doton technique.

Slamming her hands to the ground, she concentrated a large amount of chakra and watched as a large fissure formed. But, for all the chakra she had used, only one of the shinobi was caught in the technique.

"I don't think that we will win," she told Tokuma as she jumped on his branch. The man was already tired and without the element of surprise on her side anymore Reiko didn't think that she will do more than waste chakra if this fight dragged on.

"You fast?" he asked in-between gasps.

"I think?" she asked, somewhat desperately as she barely jumped off the tree branch before it exploded.

"Well come on," he said before launching three kunais at the enemy, grabbing her arm and dragging her away before a large flash occurred behind them.

"Flash bombs," he explained as Reiko regained enough of her bearings to start running on her own, circulating chakra through her legs to increase her speed.

"It will buy us some time, where are-"

"Still where we left them, they haven't began pursuing us yet," she quickly told him.

It was a minor relief and the two pushed on running further and further away. It didn't take the sminogakure ninjas nearly long enough to recover before they began chasing them.

"They are behind us," she told Tokuma, looking at him for guidance because she was completely out of her league here.

'The last —and only— time I had to deal with ninjas was…' her thought were interrupted by Tokuma's swearing as he dodged the flying projectiles.

Thinking quickly, Reiko could only think of one thing, and that would force her to stop for too long. Reaching into the holster that she always kept hidden on her left leg, she brought out a scroll. Quickly unsealing it she used the resulting smoke from the technique to arrange herself.

'If I live I want to find a bloody teacher for this thing,' she thought, gripping tightly the staff of her weapon, swinging it with all her might, pouring chakra through it and re-shaping the structure of the air to create a powerful gust of wind, pushing back the incoming shinobi as they moved out of the way.

"Wind ninjutsu?" Tokuma asked in surprise

"An uncompleted form," Reiko grounded out, using the gunbai to shield herself from the incoming projectiles or to blow them away. She bought the giant fan on a wimp once, when she passed through Tetsu no kuni's capital (Land of Iron), thinking that if nothing else she could use it to defend herself from projectiles like in this case.

Reiko had read before, in one of the scrolls that detailed the use of wind natured chakra, —how many elements could her bloody grandfather use?— that the user could use it in conjunction with their weapon. However in comparison to water and earth nature, which came almost as easily as breathing to Reiko, wind was another matter completely and she was no where near satisfied with her use of it.

Having chosen to focus on perfecting her other two natures, "Better to be a master of few things than a jack of all trades and master of none," her mother once said.

That of course didn't stop her from trying to learn at least how to generate wind chakra and use in conjunction with her fan. 'I definitely need to work on it,' she though, panting.

It took far too much chakra out of her, using it as she did, when she didn't have a strong enough grip on this nature manipulation.

It was only when Tokuma managed to kill one of them and wound their leader that two were able to make a break for it once again.

This time the shinobi didn't pursue them.

—.—.—.—

 **A/N:*Water dragon bulet technique**

 ***jizaikagi-had no better way of calling it without explaining it a bit. It is an adjustable pothook.**

 **I know this is a bit far fetched, but I want to get her out of Shimo no Kuni.**

 **I do like my stories to make sense, and, if I ever find a better way to write this I will rewrite this chapter then, but in order to move on with the story this had to be done and dusted with.**

 **lovetolongago + unbakedmuffins +guest: Thank you so much for reviewing my story XD and thank you for pointing out my mistake lovely guest, I will definitely deal with it, forgive me for not having done so already.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and have lovely day!**


	3. Chapter 3

The two did not stop running, for more than a moment at a time, till they were well, and truly, past Shimo no Kuni's borders.

Once they crossed the border into Yu no Kuni, Reiko and Tokuma were able to rest for longer without fear of an immediate ambush.

That was not to say that they were any less paranoid.

After all, as far as things went, Tokuma was a foreign ninja in enemy territory and nobody would give a damn that the twelve year old was simply dragged into this mess.

So the pair of them did their best to conceal any evidence of their presence. Continuing south, towards Tokuma's village.

"Once we reach Hi no Kuni, I can get in contact with one of our outpost and we can finally relax," Tokuma kept telling Reiko as they traveled.

Needless to say, Reiko was more than a little irritated by the current turn of events. 'I should have left him for the animals,' she though on more than one occasion, as a bout of anger and anxiety passed through her.

Reiko had no desire to go to Hi no Kuni, and she sure as hell didn't want to go to Konoha. But what was she to do?

Returning or passing through Shimo was out of the question, the girl not quite willing to test the Kami's benevolence.

Running away was an option of course; but run where? There was a war in full swing happening across the hole damn continent and further, making travelling —especially by herself— a very dangerous endeavour, best left for the brave and foolish.

The girl also had limited experience with ninja, and, while some, it seemed, would call he a prodigy (as Tokuma claimed after grilling her about her skills) she was no where near narcissistic enough to think that nobody could take her on. 'That's how fools get themselves killed,' and Reiko personally though that it was only due to blind luck that she evaded death for so long.

' _And luck runs out eventually._ '

All she really wanted was a peaceful existence. And to stay as far away as humanly possible from conflict.

A ridiculous wish.

One, that as fate would have it, was not how Reiko's life was meant to be.

The closer they got to the border of Hi no Kuni the more anxious she became.

Could anyone blame her?

What reason did Konoha have to help her? She was a nobody, whose clearing one of their injured ninja just so happened to stumble upon.

What if they though her a spy? An infiltrator?

They would kill her on the spot. Or worse, if they found out whose blood ran through her veins…

Best case scenario, she ended up like her mother and grandmother.

 _Dead_.

As which each case where her mind wandered into dark territory, Tokuma —as if sensing it— would bring her out of it. Reassuring her each time that things will be alright.

'Does he really have the right to promise me that?'

—.—.—.—

The two were resting my a river in Hi no Kuni, cooking the fish they caught over a small fire. They crossed the border into fire country the previous day, so they could afford such luxuries as a warm meal.

Reiko said nothing as Tokuma chatted on, mainly to himself, about his comrade's reactions to his return:

"Man, Seichiro is going to punch me first, before bawling like a little girl. He's a tsundere like that. Ah! But don't tell him I said that," Tokuma quickly added as an afterthought. Attempting to cheer up the sulky child, and draw her out of whatever dark corner her mind wandered in this time.

Unfortunately for him, Reiko was far too lost in her thoughts, her eyes seemingly staring intently at the cooking fish. A closer look however, revealed that her red eyes were not really seeing the world around her.

She sat leaning agains the trunk of a tree, her knees pulled close to her chest and her arms encircling them. Her dark blue kimono was dirty and ripped in places from their travels. And, due to the pace they were trying to maintain —and the fact that they were in enemy territory— none of them could afford to stop and change. Washing was out of the question.

Her light grey hair was greasy, full of knots and pulled tight in a high ponytail, ensuring that no hair would obstruct her vision. Her pupil-less red eyes blinked in surprise. Reiko's surrounding coming into focus as she came out of her thought after Tokuma's last comment:

"Mou~ Reiko-chan, how do you expect to get a man when you're such a worry war—aah!" Poor, poor Tokuma. How unfortunate for him that working on her accuracy was something Reiko was able to train on through the years.

And she was _good_ at it.

—.—.—.—

They ran into a patrol sooner than Reiko would have liked. Tokuma wasting no time in identifying himself and stating the reason for his long absence.

However, Konoha's military was great and there was almost no way for everyone to know everyone. And even if there was, this is wartime, and one did not take chances during such times.

Fortunately, Konoha was no Kiri, thus they weren't killed on the spot or any other similar occurrence. Instead they were taken into custody, their chakra sealed, and any weapons they had confiscated, awaiting further instructions.

In Reiko's case, the extent of her confiscated items was limited to her pouch, counting the two scrolls she always carried with her.

One, for the weapons she had accumulated through the years, (Nothing grand, a couple kunai she found scattered in an abandoned battle ground years ago, which she kept in good condition for training purposes. Some ninja wire purchased long ago and her gunbai, bough from Tetsu no Kuni on a whim.) and the other containing the necessities she needed for travel; spare clothes and such. The years of travelling have left their mark.

Luckily, they didn't notice, or didn't care about the storage seal on her thigh. (Personally Reiko was inclined to believe the former option) The one her grandmother placed on her so long ago.

—.—.—.—

Three days. That was how long it took for someone who knew, and could confirm Tokuma's identity, could arrive. The famous Seichiro as it turned out.

Thankfully, through these three days the two were allowed to bathe, —supervised of course— and, after Reiko requested one of the spare kimono she had, change. Oh the beauty of being clean and not stinky. People seriously do not appreciate baths enough.

Although, Reiko never knew what awkward really meant till she had to bathe and change before an older man.

There were no females currently stationed at this outpost.

Once Seichiro confirmed Tokuma's identity, the two had their chakra suppressor seals removed and belongings returned with a quick apology. Seichiro was a bit skeptical about Reiko's presence but seemed willing to trust Tokuma's story and decisions, so the male did not press the issue of Reiko's presence.

The guys at the outpost grilled her enough as it was. 'I really don't like ninjas.'

Seichiro did however thank Reiko for saving Tokuma's life and that was that.

Life carried on.

—.—.—.—

A day and a half later Reiko laid eyes for the first time on Konohagakure's walls. Once inside the village the girl shamelessly stared at her surroundings, admiring what she saw.

Despite the carnage that was taking place beyond these walls, the people inside seemed cheerful enough. Children were running around, adults were minding their own business, stopping every now and them to speak with a friend or acquaintance. It was… _peaceful_.

Looking up, unfortunately, Reiko was hit by a wave of bitterness.

There, carved into the very mountain, were three faces.

'The Hokage,' she recalled. Memories of time spent with her grandmother, listening to stories about her _great,_ grandfather.

Her pupil-less eyes were staring pointedly at the middle visage, noting all the features the sculptor was able to carve in the rock. The face of the man she knew so much about…but whom she never even once met.

"He abandoned us!" Reiko remembered Shōrai shouting at Ume. "He chose them over us and that's all there is to it! Stop putting him on a fucking pedestal…he sure as hell didn't put us on one."

That was the first time Reiko witnessed her mother cry.

'And it was all because of you,' she thought, narrowing her slanted eyes at the Nidaime Hokage's monument.

Reiko could see why the man died for this village. She has barely been in it for less than an hour but she could understand.

This was the village he helped build. The first place in his entire life which likely allowed children to be children and people of different bloodlines mingle with each other peacefully.

The will of fire. Ume told her about it. Told her how fiercely the man believed in it.

So she could understand dying for the village you loved so much.

What Reiko _couldn't_ understand. What she never understood, no matter what her grandmother said, was why did he abandon his wife and child.

If he loved them the way her grandmother claimed, why did he never share with the world that he was married? That he had a child. Sure, don't spread the news to the hole damn world, but unless you were embarrassed, you would _at least_ share this important bit of information with your family, right?

What he had enemies? Reiko was willing to bet her right hand that his brother had them too. Probably more. Didn't stop him from getting married, having a child and keeping them _by his side_. _Protecting them_.

Yet despite all the angry emotions whirling inside Reiko, the girl kept a tight lid on them. Refusing to allow even a hint of her anger from showing.

And if the result was her looking even more anxious, which she sure was anyway, then so be it. That would be easier to explain to anyone asking than telling them that she wished she could maul their second hokage's face.

Tokuma was also too preoccupied to really pay attention to Reiko so he easily misinterpreted her emotions. He placed a warm, calloused hand reassuringly on the crown of her head. A gesture meant to calm her down. It worked to an extent, and Reiko was able to unclench her jaw at least. Her teeth weren't very happy with the way they have been treated recently.

Blinking her red eyes at the man, Reiko attempted to force a reassuring smile on her face. The result wasn't great, but nobody cared once the voice of the current Kage beckoned them inside his office.

* * *

 **A/N: Not abandoning this story. Have made far too many intensive notes on the plot to do so. With that said, updates are bound to be slow as exams are rolling around, I'm procrastinating a lot and am focused on my other story Uzushiogakure Reborn.**

 **However, for all of you who have read and enjoyed this story, first off: You guys are amazing and I love you a lot. Second: You guys are just plain great and Third: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It is on the short side but I though it fitting to end it where I did.**

 **I hope I was able to give more hints at the kind of person Reiko is. If she seemed over the top at certain points, as in she was imagining ridiculous scenarios, that was on purpose. I want to remind people that till Tokuma rolled around Reiko has been alone for years.**

 **As mentioned her family is dead and she has been alone ever since. Is she mature for a child her age? Yes. But she has always been a rather secluded child, not interacting with people much even in her youth. So finding herself in such a situation would be, I reckon, extremely stressing. And this is just one of her way of coping with it.**

 **Anyway I rambled for far too long. I shall see you guys next time, leave a review to tell me what you think thus far of the plot if you so wish.**

 **Till next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

Beckoning the newcomers to enter, Hiruzen stood straight, elbows resting on the desk and fingers interlocked in front of him.

Today was one of the better days one got to enjoy recently. The war was experiencing a lull for a while, installing a false sense of security. Nothing extraordinary happened, no political mishap, no sudden great loss. It gave his shinobi time to rest for a bit, breath a little easier.

If anything today may call for the smallest of celebrations, —'a drink sounded about right,'— as one of their MIA agent returned, alive. A rarity on its own. Sure they needed to be evaluated and their loyalty checked, but if they passed all test then they just recovered one of their ninja, not lost them.

Hiruzen was, admittedly, more than a bit curious to learn what happened to the man. Thus when the door opened, only years as a shinobi and war veteran prevented him from showing any towards signs of surprise.

He was not expecting a child to accompany them.

The hokage surveyed the three before him, making note of all seeable injuries and made a mental note to have the returning male sent to the hospital after T&I were done with him.

Seichiro gave his report when prompted, and, once finished, dismissed from the office. This left Tokuma and Reiko as the last occupants. —Sarutobi not counted—

Tokuma stood straight, ready for orders, as any well trained shinobi present before their Kage. The girl on the other hand stood slightly behind the man, shoulders slouched, looking at the ground.

Hiruzen could see her fidgeting with the fabric of her kimono, though, he could not discern her facial features at all.

He turned his attention away from the mystery child for now, in favour of giving Tokuma permission to speak. Hiruzen was certain that the reason for the girl's presence will be found in the man's report of the events.

Tokuma gave Sarutobi the run down of the events which transpired over the last couple of weeks easily, with no hesitation. Starting from his team's mission in Shimo no Kuni and ending with how him and Reiko were forced to flee together and eventually ran into a Konoha patrol.

The male made sure to highlight Reiko's involvement, and how important it was in his survival. He also praised her skills, subtly (not really) hinting that she would be an asset to Konoha.

Hiruzen did turn his attention back to Reiko at this point, reevaluating the child and trying to discern how accurate Tokuma's assessment of her skill was. He narrowed his dark eyes at the girl.

She was a rather small thing. Her light, ashen hair, was pulled back in a sensible ponytail. She wore a navy iromuji* which was cut on both sides and her legs were fully wrapped in bandages. Seemingly more for daily wear, rather than to signal the area of a wound. Finally as footwear she sporting a standard pair of ankle length, black boots.

The was a bit skeptical about whether, or not this slip of a girl truly taught herself as Tokuma stated she claimed. 'Of course,' Hiruzen mussed, 'a Yamanaka would certainly be capable of easily confirming or denying said statement.'

And, if she turned out to be as talented as Tokuma claimed, with no ill will towards Konoha…well Hiruzen didn't suppose it would be that inconvenient to integrate her in the village.

However, he was rather bothered, —or maybe it was curiosity— that she has yet to look up and face him.

"Reiko-kun, was it?" he said, watching as the girl jolted at her name.

She quickly raised her face to look at the man and respond, and Hiruzen was equally ready to ask her some questions…till his eyes locked on her face.

His brain simply paused, unable to for a single coherent though, much less ask questions. Sarutobi forced himself to recover.

A moment passed, and then another.

Finally, he was able to shake off the image of his sensei which overlapped the girl's.

Blinking a couple of times for good measure, Hiruzen truly looked at the child before him. She looked so remarkably like their late nidaime, that it went beyond uncanny.

She was a pale skinned child, with a long, straight nose, a well defined jawline and cheeks, coupled with a pair of stunning, pupil-less red eyes.

Those were, without a doubt, his ex-sensei's eyes.

If the hole situation wasn't odd before, the child's appearance alone made it feel as such to Hiruzen. It was only his years of experience which prevented him from outwardly displaying what he was thinking. (Only serving to further raise Reiko's anxiety levels)

"Tell me child, what happened to you family," he asked unflinchingly, dread and hope building up in him. A ridiculous feeling, as the chances of what he though coming to pas were slim to none.

He didn't miss the way Reiko's hole body tensed. Nor the shadow which crossed over her features.

"They're dead," she replied testily, fist clenched tightly by her side. That didn't help Hiruzen much, although he wisely kept away from any more questions revolving around that topic.

He exchanged a few more words with Tokuma before having an ANBU escort them both to T&I. Clear instruction given about who and how they were meant to be interrogated. Hiruzen didn't want to butt into Inoichi's area of expertise but he wanted this done in a certain way. Especially with the girl.

Whether or not she turned out to share blood with his late sensei, the girl could still potentially become an asset for Konoha and he did not want her first few impressions to be bad ones.

 _First impressions could be so important._

—.—.—.—

Once alone in his office again, Hiruzen went to stand by the windows. Looking towards the Kage monument. More specifically, looking at the nidaime's monument.

'Could it really be sensei? Did your child at least survive Uzushio's fall? Have I failed you so badly that even now, your lineage is suffering?' these were questions with no answer, for the moment.

All Hiruzen could do was wait for Inoichi's report. It was sure to shed some light on this mystery. He hoped.

—.—.—.—

It was a couple of hours later that the Yamanaka found himself knocking at his Kage's door. Waiting for permission before entering, the blond found himself standing before the man he had served his entire life.

Ready to present his findings.

He informed the Hokage that Tokuma's memories were genuine, and, that they matched the events he described in his report, declaring him as fit to return to duty once the hospital cleared him as well.

Nodding his understanding and acceptance of the decision, Hiruzen patiently waited to learn what Inoichi found out about the girl.

"The girl told the truth as well…however, she was not keen on coming to Konoha," the blond man said, recalling Reiko's memories and the information trapped within them.

Hiruzen frowned at this, but motioned for the blond to carry on. This was not promising news.

'Delving deeper into her memories as to find out the reason, revealed that these feelings stemmed from the girl's family. Her mother in particular was not very fond of our village."

Hiruzen felt a bead of dread forming in the back of his mid so he closed his eyes and leaned on his elbows.

"Her mother, who was she?" Hiruzen asked, dreading the answer now more then ever.

"A remnant of the Uzumaki clan, sir. She went by the name of Shōrai," Inoichi continued, watching in surprise as his Kage let out a ragged breath.

'I failed you sensei…I'm so sorry,' Sarutobi thought.

"You are certain of this Inoichi?" he tried one last time.

"Yes sir. The girl was definitely raised by Uzumaki Shōrai and her grandmother, Uzumaki Ume. They died at the hand of Kiri ninja it would seem," Hiruzen felt a wave of red-hot anger wash over him. His fingers clenched so hard they turned white.

The memory of a bubbly young redhead danced before his eyes. The bell-like voice of the girl's mother rang in his ears, as she asked if he wanted anything to eat.

'I let them both down. I promised to look after them should something happen, _and I failed_ ,' Hiruzen though. Reiko's face suddenly popping into his mind.

'All these years…they were alive. If only I'd looked—she had a daughter.'

Regret hit the ageing man full force. He knew those two women. He stood there, with his teammates and _promised,_ that should anything happen to the nidaime, those two will be looked after and cared for.

Something did happen. And the nidaime sacrificed himself for them.

Then, he ascended to Hokage, and _later_ , news of Uzushio's demise reached Konoha. Their long-time allies. _Gone_.

Hiruzen and his teammates searched for weeks, finding nothing but corpses and dead ends. No sign of bubbly children or women with bell-like voices.

However, it seemed that fate was determined to prove to Hiruzen just how mysterious it could be. Not only did those two not perish, as they initially assumed, but they lived long enough to pass on their lineage. Who through a twist from the same fate, ended up, years later in his office. Today.

Sarutobi didn't know if he should weep or laugh.

He had long since gotten used to the knowledge of his broken promise. Long since resigned himself to his failings. But learning what he did today…it felt as if that particular scar was reopened. The pain just as sharp as back then.

He listened to the reminder of Inoichi's report, (feeling some sort of… _pride?_ ) learning how the girl clung on to life despite the obstacles thrown her way.

Yet, just before Hiruzen was ready to dismiss the blond, Inoichi threw another bomb in his lap.

"In regards to her abilities…" he trailed off. The Hokage simply raised an eyebrow and pushed further:

"Yes?"

"She possesses the shodaime's mokuton," Inoichi said. And Hiruzen's brain paused once again.


	5. Chapter 5

The councillors and the Hokage were gathered in the main meeting room. Doors closed and privacy seals activated.

When the three elders were summoned, they expected bad news. Especially given the room they were in and the protections put in place.

They prepared themselves to help conduct damage control. Prepared for the worst news. Death of their soldiers. Another, direct confrontation with either Kumo or Iwa. Hiruzen could throw anything at them and they would be ready to respond to the best of their abilities.

Yet, Hiruzen said nothing for a long time. Simply watching his long time friends and weighing their reactions in his mind.

Once Inoichi has left his office Hiruzen wasted no time in having missives sent to gather the council. The news of a new mokuton user was too big to be kept secret. The news of the nidaime's granddaughter was too personal not to share with the people who've been impacted by the Uzushio tragedy years ago.

Finally, Homura could no longer wait in silence and asked Sarutobi for the purpose of this summons:

"Today, one of our MIA agents has returned, alive, back to us. T&I has confirmed that he was not compromised and that he's loyalty is intact," Hiruzen started off, noting the frowns marring his friends' faces.

"That…is good news, But tell us Hiruzen, why summon us to tell us this in person?" Koharu asked, eyebrows furrowed as she reached for the tea cup placed in front of her.

"This is not about that particular shinobi per se; it is about the child he brought back with him."

"Child?" Danzō, echoed, eyes narrowing in thought.

"Please tell us that none of our shinobi were stupid enough to kidnap a noble child without orders. Especially give the time we live in," Koharu added quickly, feeling a migraine fast approaching.

Hiruzen allowed himself a small chuckle at that. Certainly, if that was truly the case, it would be no laughing matter, but as it is not…

"Fortunately no," he replied, a small, nostalgic smile, blossoming on his face.

"Do you remember Lady Ume?" he asked, looking up to see the three before him tense at the name.

"Why do you bring up that past Hiruzen? What does—,"

"Peace my friend," Hiruzen interrupted, lowering the hand he used to stop Homura.

"This has everything to do with that past…It has come to my attention that we were not as thorough as we were meant to be," he carried on. Sighing, as he lowered the cup he has been holding the entire.

"What do you mean?" Danzō questioned.

"Lady Ume and Shōrai-hime lived," Hiruzen declared. Watching his friends stiffen and lose colour at the news.

"Impossible," Koharu whispered, tears gathering in her eyes.

The image of a laughing child dancing in her mind's eye.

(She was so proud, and honoured, when the nidaime entrusted her with his greatest secret. The family he hid from the world. The daughter she grew to care for so much.)

"How do you know this?" Danzō asked, being the least affected by this news out of the three.

"The child I mentioned earlier, is Shōrai-hime's daughter," he told them, unsurprised by the gasps he received.

"A daughter," Koharu murmured in surprise.

"A daughter," Hiruzen repeated.

"And you are certain of this information?" Homura asked, expression full of wonder. Such news…they were without a doubt, unexpected.

"What about Shōrai-chan, and Ume-sama?" Koharu asked, noticing that Hiruzen made no mention of the two being here.

In response the kage closed his eye sorrowfully.

"Dead," he tells them, "killed by Kirigakure ninja's it seems."

(He wasn't the only one who felt bubbling rage well up within him at the news)

Koharu and Homura shed no tears at the news, their clenched fists the only visible proof that the news affected them. Danzō on the other hand did not feel the same anger at the news, the man having never met Shōrai or Ume when they were alive.

Only learning of the nidaime's family after questioning his friends about their desperate searches, following the purge of the Uzumaki clan.

What he was more interested in right now, was the child's worth towards Konoha. They were at war, they didn't have time to mourn over the past.

"Tell us more about the child, where is she now?" he asked.

Hiruzen levelled his comrade with a long look before responding:

"T&I should have had her transferred to the hospital by now."

"Will she become an asset to Konoha?" Danzō carried on, "Is she alright?" Homura asked instead.

"There didn't seem to be anything physically wrong with her, though it never hurt to be safe. it is also preferable that she not be kept with T&I for long, there is no need to make her transaction in the village any more difficult," Sarutobi told them calmly.

"Why haven't they come to Konoha when they fled? Surely they couldn't have though we would turn them away," Homura said, more to himself than really asking.

"Inoichi discovered a hesitation within Reikoat the prospect of coming here. When he investigated, it revealed that her family was not very fond of this village," Hiruzen said sadly, once again guilt coursed through him.

To think that they somehow made the two mistrust them…he couldn't explain to himself why else Ume would refuse to flee here with her daughter. 'I guess we will never learn the truth,' he thought sadly.

"'Will that be a problem?" Danzō pushed on.

"Inoichi does not think so and I certainly wish to have Reiko learn to view Konoha as her home. It is, after all, the truth," Sarutobi declared.

"Reiko?" Koharu said curiously, looking up at the hokage as she did so.

"Reiko," he confirmed.

"Hhm, Reiko eh…a fine name," Homura said wishfully

Hiruzen then proceeded to tell the rest of the council about what Inoichi discovered, venturing through Reiko's memories, and what Tokuma himself reported.

(There was a simultaneous jolt of pride at learning that the child was particularly proficient at water style ninjutsu. "Just like sensei.")

However, the information Hiruzen felt most apprehensive about sharing, but, which he could not keep secret, has yet to be told.

"What is it?" Danzō asked, having noticed Hiruzen's shift in personality. They've known each other for too long to attempt masking their emotions from one another. It simply never worked.

"There is, one last thing…," Sarutobi trailed off, sighing when he knew that this conversation couldn't be avoided.

"Reiko, she has inherited one last thing from her Senju heritage," the rest stood a little straighter at this information. Curiosity practically vibrating through their bodies.

Taking a moment to look each one of them in the eyes Hiruzen said:

"She inherited shodaime-sama's mokuton."


	6. Chapter 6

Reiko was beyond anxious. What she had took anxiety by the hand and _showed her how it's done_.

The silver haired child was thinking of so many scenarios that she ran out of realistic one and entered the real of fantasy.

It couldn't be helped. Reiko had never before been passed along from one person to another in such a short spam of time, and between so many different people. _So many people_.

She hadn't even seen Tokuma after they were escorted out of the Hokage's tower.

She was tempted to flee on more than one occasion, but doing so in a shinobi village? One on edge from the ongoing war? Yeah, good luck with that.

Reiko was worried about what was going to happen to her from now on. Will they kill her? Throw her out? Or will Tokuma's promise see through and things will be alright?

She didn't know and that scared her. 'This is my rewards for helping an injured person… _thanks karma_ , you're great,' she thought sarcastically, nervously chewing her lower lip.

She could feel all the chakra signals around her. It actually hurt the fist time she tried to sense her surroundings. There were so many people here, and so many of them were trained shinobi, that the overload of sensory information burned her brain. Metaphorically of course.

All Reiko ever wanted was a quiet life. Simple. Away from all the drama caused by shinobi and the destruction that seemed to follow them anywhere they went.

She wanted to keep on living , maybe, _maybe,_ have a family of her own, and carry on the memory of her mother and grandmother.

They would have wanted Reiko to live happily. (Knowing that and still missing them was painful)

Sure the girl learnt ninjutsu and trained, but that was more by way of learning how to defend herself. Not from any real desire of becoming a shinobi. (Although she might enjoy training more that strictly necessary for someone that wanted to know how to defend themselves)

The girl was currently in a hospital room. Brought here by ninjas and left in the care of the medical staff present. (Though she was sure some of the, _far too close_ , chakras she sensed were shinobi watching her) The medic and nurses poked and probed her. Checking her vitals and taking blood samples. They healed any and all of the minor injuries she possessed and declared her relatively healthy, if slightly underweight for her age and hight.

Once done they directed her to stay and rest in the room she was currently in. A nurse coming very so often to check up on her.

It has been like this for hours.

The sun was already making way for the darkness of the night, and from her window, Reiko could already see two stars twinkling in the sky. And she still doesn't know what the future has in store for her.

It also seemed like a bad joke that the view of her window clearly displayed the kage mountain.

'Hmp, I wonder what he thinks of all of this,' Reiko wondered for the first time.

Finally closing her eyes and attempting to calm her whirling thoughts. Surely if no new came by now they wouldn't be waking her up in the night. Right?

'This is so troublesome.'

 **—** **.—.—.—**

The next morning, before she even had a chance to taste the hospital's _special_ breakfast, Reiko found herself looking up at non other than the Hokage himself.

There were no outward, _obvious_ , signs of anyone else accompanying the man, but Reiko wasn't willing to bet on that statement.

"Good morning Reiko-kun," Hiruzen greeted her simply, his expression surprisingly gentle for a man such as himself. 'Just what is happening around here?' the girl thought, confusion marring every inch of her face.

However, in the silence that followed, she realised that he seemed to be waiting for her reply, and she tripped over her own words, in order to deliver the simple morning greeting.

It didn't seem to bather the man, and if the small quirk of his lips were any indication, he might just have found in amusing.

"I understand that the last couple of hours must have been extremely stressful and confusing. I apologise for not coming to see you earlier," Hiruzen told her, his gentle expression belittling the sharpness his eyes held. Cataloguing all of Reiko's responses mentally.

Now, Reiko might not know how a shinobi village is run…although having a kage personally visit you in the hospital, especially when you are a complete stranger with no ties to their village, did not seem like the norm. Or very feasible, depending on the number of people they would have to visit per day.

It made her wary of his intentions and drove away any of the sleepiness she might still have been feeling. Replacing it with a refreshed brain, ready to process any and all information feed into it.

After she ate of course. Her belly rumbling in the otherwise quiet room echoing rather loudly.

Kami the embarrassment.

Reiko could feel her entire face heating up from the neck upwards. Colouring her normally pale skin a rich tomato red. 'Can this be anymore awkward?' she bemoaned mentally.

Hiruzen on the other hand was left chuckling at her expanse, his shoulders loosing some of the tension Reiko didn't even notice they held previously.

She was at a loss of words, not knowing what she was meant to say or how to respond.

"Well, I guess our conversation can wait till you have something to eat. How does chikuzenni sound?"

'Is the hokage offering to take me out for breakfast?' Reiko didn't know what was normal anymore and simply chose to roll with it.

—.—.—.—

Sarutobi took Reiko to a small restaurant which served breakfast dishes as well. After they both ordered and ate, he paid and the two ended up going…on a stroll.

The girl did wonder is she was in some bizarre alternate reality. She also wondered when the raging kage was going to finally reveal his true intentions.

During her 'interrogation,' the blond man which conducted it explained that he will be entering her mind and extracting the information he needed directly out of it.

This was what terrified Reiko most. Because she doesn't know what exactly that man learned.

Reiko strongly considered that they learnt about that, and feared the repercussion this could mean for her. Ume told her _never_ to share that secret with anyone. She never even told her mother about it. However, she refused to mention or give anything away before Hiruzen mentioned it himself.

For now, the odd looking duo was wandering through the village streets. Hiruzen pausing to greet someone every now and them, or to explain a sight to Reiko.

They ended up in a clearing with ridiculously large trees. No, seriously. They were huge. Large, with thick, solid-looking trucks, and absolutely smooth bark. She has never seen trees like these before.

Or so she thought.

Reiko felt the blood chill in her veins, as she got a better look at the trees. At their composition. Personally, she has never created them as large as the ones before her, but they were unmistakable now that he was really looking at them.

The girl didn't even notice the Hokage fall behind her, or that he went completely quiet. Watching her. Watching her reactions and noting the exact moment realisation dawned on her.

"We call them Hashirama trees, after our first hokage. As he was the one to create them," short and sweet. But the hidden meaning behind him bringing her here, to this particular clearing, and telling her this information was clear.

They knew.

She tried to hide the shaking of her hands, allowing the slightly longer sleeves of her kimono to cover them. 'Deep breaths Reiko, deep breaths,' she instructed herself, attempting to calm her racing heart. She felt the sting of tears gathering at the corner of her eyes and Reiko send a silent prayer to her grandmother. Asking her forgiveness for failing her promise.

Reiko might have not personally told them. But she might as well have done so the moment she agreed with Tokuma to come to this village. 'What was I thinking?' she thought furiously. All her anger directed at herself. The answer, simple. She was scared.

She was scared of being alone once again, that bloody man's daily presence having affected her more than she realised.

Reiko was always a rather sociable child in her youth. The need to interact with others having never left her, but simply staying suppressed. Pushed to the side by Reiko herself.

And when they were forced to flee together Reiko panicked at the thought of being left alone in this situation.

She would never admit it out loud, but Tokuma's attempts of calming her on their journey were more effective than she let on. Reiko didn't want to deal with the situation she found herself in alone. So she unthinkingly tagged along. Never fully processing what the possible repercussions of her actions could be.

Now, she was in Konoha. And if they wanted to keep her here…well, Reiko had a snowflake's chance in burning hell at escaping.

'Damn it all,' she though bitterly. By now the tears falling freely down her face. Shoulders shaking badly with barely suppressed sobs.

When Hiruzen approached her, he felt like he was punched in the gut, the way she jumped at his touch. The terrified look that briefly showed on her face, was genuinely sad. He didn't want his sensei's legacy to fear him. Fear Konoha. She should never have a reason to. 'She shouldn't have even been born outside of it,' he thought, angry with himself once again.

This was all his fault after all.

"Reiko-kun, your grandmother, Lady Ume, she was someone I knew," he told the child gently. Watching the way her eyebrows furrowed in confusion when his words began registering in her mind.

"You knew obāsan?" Reiko asked incredulously, the image of her precious grandmother flashing through her mind.

"Yes," he confirmed, "your mother too…Shōrai-hime, she was a very sweet child. Your grandfather…he was my sensei," he admitted, watched as her shaking suppressed. Fear making space for wander, as curiosity filled her head full of questions with no answer.

"How could you have known them, okāsan said nobody knew about them. That they were nothing but a dirty secret…," she trailed off, looking at the ground and clenching her fists in anger.

Hiruzen for his part felt like screaming at the world. Something he hadn't in a _very_ long time.

Shōrai should have _never_ had to, think like that. Her childhood should have never been stripped away so brutally that it left her raw, and bleeding, even years down the line.

 _He should have been there for them as he promised his sensei._

Nevertheless, he swallowed the resentment all his failings produced. Forcing himself to look at the child who was made to endure all of them. 'She looks so much like sensei that if you are not looking properly, you'll miss the features inherited straight from Shōrai herself,' he thought.

'Her hair, while not as sleek as her mother's, are not the nidaime's spiky locks either. It is also thicker. The lips and shape of her eyebrows are also from Shōrai and Ume.'

Hiruzen looked at the child with mournful eyes, kneeling before her and making the child look him in the eyes.

"Shortly after your mother was born, sensei summoned my teammates and I to his office to tell us something. He told us, under a secrecy vow, about your mother and grandmother. Introducing us to them not too long after. He—he made us promise, that in the event of something happened to him, that it was our duty to protect them," Hiruzen confessed, watching as the child tried to process the given information and sort it out.

Finally, her eyes turned clod and Hiruzen prepared for the inevitable:

"So where were you when they needed that help?" Reiko asked coldly, ruby eyes narrowed in barely restrained anger.

"We couldn't find them after Uzushio's destruction. We failed," the man said, voice thick with sorrow.

Reiko didn't know what to believe anymore. She was furious. Anger practically replacing the natural content of her veins. It came in a flash of red-hot, flames, and cooled down just as quickly.

There was nothing she could do anymore. Her precious family had long since perished, and, even if she could somehow kill the man before her in anger…it wouldn't bring them back.

It wouldn't change the past and it would be selfish. She reckoned that he had family too. And if she killed him…how would she be any better than the ninjas that killed her family?

Simple. She wouldn't be.

And the emptiness left behind by the loss of her two most precious people wouldn't be filled.

Instead she went lax, the anger completely gone by now, leaving behind a bitter feeling born from a hopeless conundrum. There was no right solution. Noting she will do from now on will change what came to pass.

Ume always said it was more important to figure out how to move forward, because, like it or not, time will keep on going.

Instead Reiko looked Hiruzen in the eyes and asked in a tired voice:

"So what's going to happen to me now?"


	7. Chapter 7

Biwako Sarutobi has lived through the wars that ravaged this world, and has seen the sort of cruelty man was capable of inflicting onto each other. She was a hardened veteran, mother of two audacious boys, medic, and married to the Hokage.

In sort, Sarutobi Biwako was not easily taken by surprise.

However, when her husband not only returned home for lunch, —on time— but he arrived with a slip of a girl, who couldn't be older than her own Asuma, and simply introduced her as Reiko, and telling her she living with them from now on…even she had to at least blink in surprise.

Although, any questions she might have had, were put on hold, and she did what she knew best:

Take charge of the situation.

After introducing herself to the child, Biwako showed the girl to a spare room, dug through old clothes, and prepared a bath for Reiko.

Who, for the most part was still to confused to hake heads or tails of the situation.

Biwako instructed her briefly on where she can find everything needed for her bath before leaving with a simple: "enjoy the warm water." The woman made her way to the kitchen, checked on the food, and finally turned to face the man she has been married to for nearly thirty years.

Hands on her hips and waiting.

What Hiruzen told her next left Biwako speechless. To such an extent that when their eleven year old returned from training, the normally self assured woman didn't know what to say to the boy when he greeted them.

Asuma simply gave them an odd look, before rushing to the bathroom, shooting that he will take a quick shower before lunch.

Neither Biwako nor Hiruzen had time to warn the boy about their guest.

Poor, poor, Asuma. Oblivious to the events which just transpired in his own home. All he wanted to do was change out of his dirty clothing, take a shower, eat his mother's delicious cooking before heading out again to meet up with his team.

He never expected that when entering his bathroom, ready to get clean, to see an equally naked Reiko in the bathtub.

As mentioned previously, Reiko had excellent aim.

Thus Asuma was left, but naked, outside the bathroom, covered in bruises, various cleaning bottles and soaps surrounding him, wondering what just happened.

—.—.—.—

The first few weeks were odd. Reiko, who was no longer used to have someone care for her, found herself awkwardly attempting to help Biwako. The older female took pity on the child and allowed her to help with the coking and household chores. Partially because she saw that Reiko needed the distraction, and partially because it was nice to have help.

You won't see her sons offering to help so eagerly.

And if Reiko turned out to be a rather good hand in the kitchen…well, that was just a bonus.

The girl rather easily discovered the Sarutobi library, eyes gazing longingly at the various scrolls, and leather bound books displayed. It wasn't till she was given a physical push by Biwako, and verbal permission from Hiruzen, that she ventured inside to take a peak inside them. Absorbing the information like a sponge.

During her second week, Reiko wandered into the training ground behind the house when Biwako and Hiruzen were gone. The silver haired girl wasn't paying much attention as she began practicing, having taken far too long a pause from it. The village was swarming with people and whenever she attempted to sense her surroundings she ended up with a headache of massive proportions.

Therefore she didn't notice Asuma till the boy asked for a spar.

Reiko was able to equal him in stamina, even if he kicked her ass in taijutsu hands down. However she had the larger chakra reserves and better jutsu arsenal.

Hence, why by the time the adults of the house returned, they were only partially surprised by the state of the two children, laying face down, behind the house. The state of the training field was more interesting to observe anyway.

It was after this incident, despite Hiruzen's initial wish to allow Reiko to adapt to her new environment more, that he offered to help train her in taijutsu.

At the end of said week, Biwako took Reiko with her to the hospital, having the girl help with the menial tasks. The Sarutobi female then had Reiko practice her chakra control, delighted to find that she had perfect chakra to pursue the path of a medic, should she wish.

Too bad Reiko had even less of a calling for the noble art than she did for fūinjutsu.

(Somewhere, far away, during a poker match, Tsunade felt a familiar wave of annoyance wash over her. Even though she was having such a great time.)

Early next week, was when Reiko first meet the three councillors which helped Hiruzen manage, and keep Konoha safe. They showed up at the Sarutobi household for tea, and if Biwako's reaction was any hint, this was no common occurrence. Pleasantries were exchanged between the adults which grew up together, while Reiko spied from the kitchen, food on the stove.

Hiruzen beckoned Reiko to come introduce herself, and the young teen was, at best, apprehensive about their presence.

Nonetheless, she didn't want to be rude towards Hiruzen, who technically still took her in, despite having no reason too, (like she would have been able to leave anyway).

Much like Hiruzen's first reaction when seeing Reiko, the three were taken back, and, for a short moment, saw the nidaime before them. A small nidaime admittedly, one with lanky limbs and more feminine features, but alas, the mind was inventive.

Koharu was more surprised by how demure Reiko was. Not very talkative and a bit fidgety, she was the complete contrast of the young Shōrai Koharu so vividly recalled.

However, years of being a ninja taught her to not take people at face value. At least not initially.

She would give the girl time to grow more comfortable with the change. Allow her to grow accustomed to her first before forming any concrete opinion about her.

As for the other two…Homura reached the same conclusion as Koharu, and chose to give Reiko some space, choosing to wait and she how time changes her attitude. Danzō on the other hand, wasn't very impressed by Reiko. To think that this was what the nidaime's bloodline has produced…disappointment didn't encompass the full spectrum of his opinion. Danzō was however patient. And if the girl truly possessed the mokuton, dismissing her so early on would be a shame.

'Though, Kinoe is far more formidable,' he allowed himself to think.

—.—.—.—

Two weeks later, found Reiko thrust even further in the world of social interactions, being forced to meet even more people despite barely growing adjusted to the ones she already knew.

Starting with Sarutobi Isamu, the couple's first son and heir.

The young man just returned from the frontline, alongside his platoon to take a break. He expected a warm welcome, his mother's delicious, _warm_ , cooking and a little brother to tease.

He received everything and Reiko. After his initial skepticism, he was more than happy to accept the girl. (that is, after a rather uncomfortable grilling session, and a long talk with his father) It might have helped that Asuma grew to rather like Reiko and was rather defensive of her, providing Isamu with ample, new teasing material.

It was most uncomfortable to learn that Reiko had no idea what they were talking about, and, as punishment, Isamu was forced to explain what the teasing implied. Reiko, who never had the chance to have this sort of conversation with her mother and grandmother before their passing, asked plenty of questions. All straight faced despite Isamu's increasing blush.

The oldest Sarutobi sibling finally understood why Asuma grew so protective. Reiko was so hopelessly inept socially, that it just made you want to shelter her more. "If I'm getting a little sister out of this, does that mean I can kick any guy's ass for her?" Isamu once asked his father, several days later. He felt it was his right after all.

During this time frame she was also called to the Hokage tower to meet up with a particular pair of shinobi: Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina.

Reiko was certain that it was the woman Hiruzen was most interested in her meeting, the blond simply came as an added bonus or part of the set.

The two were debriefed about the situation before the girl arrived, giving Kushina little time to fully swallow the news that people she shared blood with were killed, despite having survived the massacre that was Uzushio's fall.

It wasn't something she liked to dwell on often, as those thoughts were often accompanied by even more negative ones. Instead she would simply accept that she was possibly one of the last, or the last Uzumaki left, lighting up incense sticks, and offering a prayer every year for her departed clan.

Now she stood before Reiko, a vestige of the Uzumaki,—regardless of how diluted her blood may be— and didn't know what to say. Not that the teen was doing any better, the woman's appearance reminding her far too much of her deceased family.

As such the two remained awkward messes, while the other two men in the room deliberated the wisdom of interrupting…whatever they were attempting to do.

* * *

 **A/N: Meh, not to sure about this chapter. I'll edit it when I think of what about it makes me-meh**

 **However I do wish to give you all a big thank you. For reading this story, for being bothered to read thus far. Also thank you for everyone that reviewed, your comments fill me with happiness and I adore all of you!**

 **Also just to clarify. No Asuma does not have a crush on Reiko,(Isamu just likes to tease) he kinda sees her like a lost puppy for now? Or a sister...sorta.**

 **Next chapter I will introduce Team Minato and their interactions with Reiko**

 **Any guesses on what the three will think about Reiko? Will she get along with them or not? ;)**


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